NYDA encourages youth to partake in the global entrepreneurship week
The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) encourages youth to join entrepreneurs across the world in celebrating the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) taking place in Johannesburg, from 12 to 18 November 2018. The event aims at celebrating innovators and job creators who launch start-ups bringing ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare.
Celebrated annually, GEW remains the world’s largest campaign to promote entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking. We call for more young people to participate and consider entrepreneurship as a viable career opportunity.
In the recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA), young people remain the hardest hit by unemployment. The official unemployment rate stands at 27, 2% with over 50% of young people unemployed, with a staggering number of young people Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET).
According to NYDA Executive Chairperson, Mr Sifiso Mtsweni, “The high youth unemployment rate is caused by low economic growth and disheartening low levels of absorption rate into the job market. We need to encourage an entrepreneurial mindset amongst youth. Young people must become job creators and not job-seekers”.
The National Youth Development Agency has in the 2017/2018 financial year created and sustained 4,701 jobs through the Grant Programme, market linkages, and business consultancy voucher programme. More than 800 young start-ups have been assisted with funding to bring their entrepreneurship journey to life.
“We call on the Ministry of Higher Education working together with the Ministry Small Business Development to introduce entrepreneurship as a compulsory subject in order to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset amongst the youth,” added Mtsweni.
For event details visit http://www.genglobal.org/south-africa
Media enquiries:
Lerato Gambu
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